


Timely Advice

by Vae



Category: Jeeves & Wooster, Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse, Torchwood
Genre: Community: tw_exchange, Crossover, M/M, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-03-06
Updated: 2007-03-06
Packaged: 2017-11-22 23:39:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/615669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vae/pseuds/Vae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto finds a letter box that sends post back in time. He uses it to correspond with Jeeves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Timely Advice

> Mr. Harkness,   
>   
>  I regret to inform you that Mr. Wooster will be unable to accept your interesting invitation, as I have taken the liberty of disposing of your note without informing him of it. Perhaps you might find your 'campaign' more successful if you directed it towards Mr. Finknottle.   
>   
>  R. Jeeves

Ianto read the note through twice. When it didn't make any more sense the third time, he took it up to Jack's office. 

"Sir?"

Jack leaned back in his chair, flashing Ianto a grin. "God, I love it when you call me that. What've you got for me?"

Ianto raised a polite eyebrow and offered the note.

"Not the answer I was hoping for, Ianto." Jack skimmed the note, laughed, and handed it back. "Bertie Wooster. Must be nearly eighty years since I last saw him. Thundering nitwit, great manservant. His valet was pretty good, too. Where'd you find this?

"In my desk drawer."

"Oh." Fingers tapped against Jack's desk as he thought. 

Ianto patiently watched the ideas skipping across his employer's face, and wondered exactly what the concluding glint in his eyes signified.

"Looks like we've got another temporal mailbox opened up. Deal with it, will you? Polite reply, you know the kind of thing."

Nodding, Ianto turned to leave.

"And Ianto?"

"Yes, sir?" He paused without turning. He didn't really need to. Jack's grins were very nearly audible. It was that faint 'ting!' of light bouncing off impossibly good teeth.

"My chessboard's getting a little dusty. Think you could give me a hand cleaning it later?"

> Mr. Jeeves,   
>   
>  I must apologise for my employer's over-enthusiasm. Captain Harkness has a habit of offering unsuitable invitations. I'll do my best to keep them away from your gentleman in future.   
>   
>  Kind regards,  
>  Ianto Jones   
>  TW3

He never expected a reply. Still, the next morning, a freshly folded sheet of paper had appeared in Ianto's desk drawer.

> Mr. Jones,   
>   
>  Thank you for your prompt reply. Your attention to duty is most commendable. Mr. Wooster is not in the habit of engaging in such activities with military gentlemen. However, I do feel that perhaps your gentleman requires more personal monitoring than Mr. Wooster, and wish you the very best of British luck in maintaining his reputation. Should you ever require advice on the matter, I would be delighted to be of service, in the interest of restricting any further invitations.   
>   
>  R. Jeeves

Later, in the small, dark room under Jack's office, Ianto paid close attention to monitoring Jack very personally.

> Mr. Jeeves,   
>   
>  Thank you for your kind offer of advice. I'm afraid any attempt to maintain Captain Harkness' reputation is already being enthusiastically made by Captain Harkness himself. It isn't the kind of reputation that grants him entry to polite society, but he seems to prefer impolite society. I will, of course, continue to provide such personal monitoring as an experienced gentleman such as yourself would advise.   
>   
>  Kind regards,  
>  Ianto Jones   
>  TW3

The reply to that one was much faster. It had appeared by the time Ianto returned to his desk from delivering Jack's coffee, Tosh's green tea, Gwen's PG Tips and Owen's...well. It was probably better not to look too closely into what Owen chose to drink.

> Mr. Jones,   
>   
>  A man of your address might, if I may take the liberty to say so, seek employment with a more discerning gentleman than Captain Harkness appears to be. It is imperative to be politely and unobtrusively certain that your employer fully appreciates the extent of your efforts in his service, even when he appears to be entirely oblivious.   
>   
>  There are several approaches to this. I am certain that you are fully aware of these approaches. If I may be of assistance in such matters, please do not hesitate to ask.   
>   
>  R. Jeeves

Ianto was fairly certain that the method he chose of being entirely certain that Jack appreciated the extent of his efforts was not one that R. Jeeves would approve of. It did, however, have the happy result that Jack was definitely, absolutely, and entirely obtrusively not oblivious to those efforts.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to lvs2read for a quick grammar/spelling beta check. Written for the tw_exchange crossover challenge and originally posted [here](http://community.livejournal.com/tw_exchange/19968.html)


End file.
